University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


THE  ACTION  OF  CONGRESS 


IN    REGARD    TO 


THE  PIEGAN  INDIANS  OF  MONTANA. 


THE  Executive  Committee  of  THE  INDIAN  RIGHTS  ASSOCIA- 
TION  calls  public  attention  to  the  following  facts  in  rela 
tion  to  the  insufficient  appropriations  for  the  Piegan  Indians, 
and  the  suffering  and  loss  of  life  consequent  thereon. 

OFFICIAL  STATEMENT. 

(The  following  is  taken  from  the  report  of  the  Honorable  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs 
for  1884,  pages  iv.  v.) 

"  The  newspapers  of  the  country  have  been  full  of  complaints 
for  months  past,  because  certain  Indians  at  the  extreme  north 
ern  agencies  were  suffering  for  food,  and  by  inference  the 
cause  of  this  suffering  was  attributable  to  neglect  on  the  part 
of  this  office ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  the  suffering  of  these 
Indians  for  lack  of  food  was  attributable  directly  and  entirely, 
first,  to  the  fact  that  the  appropriations  for  them  were  not 
made  until  three  months  after  they  should  have  been  made ; 
and  second,  that  when  made,  the  amount  allowed  was  less 
than  was  asked  for  by  this  office,  and  consequently  insufficient 
for  the  absolute  wants  of  these  Indians.  The  Blackfeet, 
Blood,  and  Piegan  Indians,  and  those  at  Fort  Peck  and  Fort 
Belknap  Agencies,  were  driven  to  great  straits  to  sustain  life 
during  the  winter  and  spring  of  1883  and  1884,  being  com 
pelled  to  kill  many  of  their  horses  and  young  stock  cattle  for 
food,  and  to  resort  to  every  possible  expedient,  such  as  eating 
bark,  wild  roots,  &c.,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  many  deaths 
among  them  were  the  direct  result  of  lack  of  food.  Through- 


out  their  severest  trials,  however,  I  am  glad  to  be  able  to  say 
that  they  have  been  guilty  of  very  few  acts  of  lawlessness  or 
depredation." 

(The  Commissioner  here  states  that  the  entire  disappearance 
of  game  has  in  their  condition  compelled  them  to  depend  for 
the  present  on  Government  support.) 

"Much  has  been  done  by  them  during  the  past  year  in 
digging  irrigating  ditches,  fencing  and  breaking  fields,  build 
ing  dwelling-houses,  &c.,  and  they  are,  with  few  exceptions, 
diligently,  and  patiently  struggling  for  independence;  and 
there  is  good  reason  to  hope  that,  with  proper  assistance,  in  a 
few  years  each  household  will  own  a  team  and  have  enough 
land  under  cultivation,  which,  with  a  few  stock  cattle,  wrill  be 
sufficient  to  make  a  great  majority  of  them  nearly  independ 
ent.  In  view  of  all  these  circumstances,  I  believe  that  there 
has  never  been  a  time  in  the  history  of  these  tribes  when 
judicious  assistance  and  encouragement  from  the  Government 
would  have  been  so  beneficent  to  them  as  at  present. 

"  I  have  called  attention  to  these  things  before,  and  now  do 
so  again,  with  the  hope  that  Congress  may  see  the  necessity 
of  making  appropriations  for  the  Indian  service,  as  to  time  and 
quantity,, so  as  to  prevent  in  the  future  all  just  complaints  of 
this  character." 


LETTER  FROM  MONTANA. 

Professor  Charles  C.  Painter,  the  representative  of  the  Indian 
Rights  Association  at  Washington,  visited  the  Piegan  Indians 
in  the  early  fall  of  1884  at  the  instance  of  the  Association, 
and  personally  investigated  their  condition.  The  following 
letter  to  Dr.  James  E.  Rhoads,  vice-president,  is  his  report  to 
the  Association. 

"FT.  SHAW,  MONT.,  October  28th,  1884. 

"  DEAR  DR.  RHOADS  : — I  got  in  here  last  night  on  my  way 
back  from  the  Piegan  Agency,  and  could  not  get  out  on  the 


FT  UBRAR 


Xfl 


stage  as  it  was  full,  and  so  am  taking  a  needed  but  enforced 
rest  before  taking  an  all  night  and  day  stage  ride  to  Helena. 

"I  have  just  written  Commissioner  Price  as  follows: — 'I 
have  just  returned  from  the  Piegan  Agency,  and  take  the  liberty 
of  saying  that  if  the  food  now  on  hand,  and  yet  on  its  way 
thither  under  the  Keyes  contract  and  Powers  special  contract, 
is  to  be  exhausted  as  per  your  instructions  on  the  3ist  of 
March,  there  is  great  danger  of  starvation  after  that  date,  be 
fore  more  food  can  be  sent  in. 

" '  The  roads  are  now  in  prime  condition,  dry  and  hard,  yet 
my  light  wagon  cut  in  to  the  hubs  in  several  places.  As  I 
came  down  I  met  freight  wagons,  loaded  with  flour,  which 
were  stuck  in  alkaline  flats  between  Dupuyer  and  Muddy 
creeks.  I  saw  twenty-six  mules  on  a  single  wagon  unable  to 
haul  it  out,  and  the  men  busy  with  shovels  trying  to  dig  out. 
Unless  the  season  should  be  unusual,  it  will  be  all  but  impos 
sible  to  get  wagons  through  after  the  1st  of  January  until  the 
first  or  middle  of  June.  Either  more  food  must  be  started  at 
once,  after  Congress  meets,  or  the  supplies  must  be  issued 
with  great  caution,  or  the  experiences  of  last  winter,  spring, 
and  summer  must  be  repeated,  an  experience  terrible  to  those 
who  endured  it ;  heartrending  to  those  who  witnessed  or  even 
hear  it,  and  disgraceful  to  those  responsible  for  it,  the  details 
and  proportions  of  which  can  scarcely  be  exaggerated. 

"  '  I  wish  to  say  also  that  so  far  as  you  base  calculations  on 
the  twenty  thousand  pounds  of  corn  recently  delivered  by 
Powers,  under  special  contract,  you  must  deduct  at  least  fifty 
per  cent,  from  the  estimate  if  made  on  the  supposition  that  it 
is  good.  If  I  know  nothing  else,  I  do  know  something  about 
corn,  and  do  not  consider  its  food  value  to  be  more  than  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  grade  corn.  I  do  not  believe  it  would  germinate  if. 
planted ;  it  is  chaffy,  light,  and  musty.  I  met  Captain  Mole 
on  his  way  up  to  inspect  it,  and  of  course  do  not  know  what 
he  will  say  of  it,  but  I  know  its  purchase,  even  if  good,  is  a 
mistake,  there  being  no  mill  to  grind  it,  and  it  is  not  needed 
for  the  stock.  Cooked  in  the  grain,  but  little  of  it  would  be 
assimilated. 

"  *  Allow  me  to  suggest  that,  if  the  agent  could  have  had  a 


j  1  iQKOti/VB  HKT 


few  large  caldrons  or  soup  kettles,  he  could  have  greatly  in 
creased  the  value  of  his  meagre  supplies  last  year.  Issued 
daily  as  such,  its  nourishing  quality  would  have  been  greatly 
increased,  and  there  would  have  been  no  waste. 

"The  suffering  at  Belknap  would  have  been  as  great,  from 
all  I  can  learn,  as  at  Badger  Creek  if  there  had  not  been  a 
large  number  of  soldiers  at  Fort  Assiniboine.  I  have  taken 
the  sworn  testimony  of  two  citizens,  one  of  whom  was  in 
the  employ  of  the  Diamond  B.,  and  the  other  of  the  Post, 
as  driver,  a  man  who  took  me  to  Piegan,  and  has  been  with 
me  for  the  past  six  days,  whom  I  believe  to  be  a  truthful  man. 

" '  These  men  independently  declare  and  swear  that  the 
Indians  brought  their  squaws  and  daughters,  even  very 
young  girls,  and  hired  them  to  white  men  for  base  purposes 
for  money  with  which  they  bought  food  from  the  Post  trader ; 
that  they  have  seen  themselves  cases,  more  than  fifty  in  num 
ber,  of  fathers  taking  money  from  men  who  took  their  female 
children,  and  they  could  hear  their  screams  from  the  teepees 
and  bushes  under  the  brutal  usage  they  were  receiving. 

"  '  I  wish,  Mr.  Commissioner,  you  could  go  over  the  ground 
and  know  fully  the  situation.  Perhaps  it  only  tortures  you, 
knowing,  as  I  do,  how  your  hands  are  tied,  but  you  could 
speak  of  these  things  more  intelligently  and  with  greater  em 
phasis. 

" '  Of  course  I  write  this  to  you  privately.     I  hope  to  see 
you  soon  after  Congress  meets,  and  speak  more  fully. 
"  '  Yours  Truly,  &c., 

"C.  C.  PAINTER." 


PUBLIC  LETTER  FROM  CORRESPONDING  SECRETARY  OF  INDIAN 
RIGHTS  ASSOCIATION. 

"PHILADELPHIA,  December  23d,  1884. 

"  DEAR  SIR  : — Your  immediate  attention  is  respectfully 
called  to  the  enclosed  communications,  which,  taken  in  rela 
tion  to  each  other,  will  be  readily  understood.  The  Chairman 


r 

of  the  Sub-Committee  of  the  House  on  Indian  Appropriations, 
Hon.  John  Ellis,  has  failed  to  comply  with  a  distinct  promise 
made  by  him  to  a  delegation  of  the  Indian  Rights  Associa 
tion.  The  result  of  this  action  has  placed  in  extreme  jeopardy 
the  lives  of  many  of  the  Montana  Indians.  So  far  as  we  can 
now  gather  from  Professor  Painter's  personal  investigations,  up 
wards  of  four  hundred  of  these  people  died,  during  the  past 
season,  of  starvation,  owing  to  the  failure  of  Congress  to  appro 
priate  supplies  in  time.  Unless  prompt  action  be  taken  there 
is  grave  danger  of  a  recurrence  of  this  sad  state  of  affairs. 
These  facts  should  be  known  to  the  public.  Personal  letters, 
addressed  to  Hon.  Samuel  J.  Randall,  Chairman  of  the  Com 
mittee  of  the  House  on  Appropriations,  and  to  Hon.  John 
Ellis,  Chairman  of  Sub-Committee  on  Indian  Appropriations, 
asking  an  explanation  of  this  matter,  will  be  very  valuable. 
Action,  to  be  effective,  must  be  prompt. 
"  Respectfully, 

"  HERBERT  WELSH, 
"  Corresponding  Secretary  I.  R.  A." 


"  INDIAN  RIGHTS  ASSOCIATION, 
"  OFFICE,  No.  1316  FILBERT  STREET, 
"  PHILADELPHIA,  PA.,  December  ijth,  1884. 

"  DEAR  SIR  : — I  write  to  you  concerning  a  matter  of  great 
importance,  and  one  deserving  instant  attention.  A  Commit 
tee  of  the  Indian  Rights  Association,  composed  of  Clement 
M.  Biddle,  General  S.  C.  Armstrong,  Robert  Frazer,  Professor 
Painter,  and  Herbert  Welsh,  on  Friday,  December  I2th,  1884, 
waited  on  the  Indian  Appropriation  Committee  of  the  House. 
Of  this  Committee  Mr.  Ellis  of  Louisiana  is  Chairman.  Our 
object  was  to  present  some  practical  suggestions  as  to  Indian 
appropriations  for  the  coming  year,  so  as  to  influence  in  the 
right  direction  the  work  of  this  Committee,  and  thereby  in 
crease  the  efficiency  of  the  whole  Indian  service.  It  is  not 
necessary  for  me  to  dilate  upon  the  vital  importance  of  this 
move  on  our  part.  Before  waiting  on  the  Committee  the 


members  of  our  delegation  met  at  the  Ebbitt  House,  and 
arranged  our  work  in  two  parts:  First,  a  brief  set  of  sugges 
tions,  classified  under  four  heads.  Second,  an  amplification  of 
the  foregoing,  backed  by  reason  for  which  the  suggestions  had 
been  made.  The  points  contained  in  our  first  paper  were  as 
follows :  I.  Request  for  an  appropriation  of  $50,000,  to  be 
made  immediately  available  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  starving 
Indians  of  Montana.  II.  Increased  appropriations  for  schools; 
$175  per  pupil  necessary  (exclusive  of  transportation)  for  first- 
class  industrial  training.  Every  Indian  child  should  imme 
diately  be  placed  in  school.  III.  Such  an  increase  of  agents' 
salaries  as  will  enable  the  Department  to  obtain  and  retain 
high-grade  men.  IV.  Increased  pay  for  Indian  police,  and 
sufficient  pay  for  judges  of  courts  of  Indian  offenses. 

"  At  first  our  efforts  to  gain  a  hearing  from  Mr.  Ellis  seemed 
likely  to  be  unsuccessful,  but  at  last  we  gained  an  audience 
from  him  and  Mr.  Ryan.  I  was  chosen  to  speak  for  our 
Committee.  All  of  us  were  surprised  at  the  result  of  this  in 
terview.  Mr.  .Ellis  and  Mr.  Ryan,  who  at  first  seemed  hardly 
disposed  to  give  us  a  hearing,  manifested  such  interest  in 
what  we  had  to  say  that  our  conference,  instead  of  lasting 
but  a  few  moments,  was  prolonged  for  more  than  an  hour. 
As  to  the  question  of  the  starving  Indians  of  Montana,  both 
Mr.  Ellis  and  Mr.  Ryan  said  that  so  soon  as  the  recommen 
dation  of  Mr.  Price  for  appropriation  of  $50,000  reached  their 
Committee  from  the  Treasury  Department,  through  which  the 
law  required  it  first  to  pass,  they  would  act  upon  it  instantly. 
In  two  days  after  that  the  matter  should  be  finished.  Mr. 
Ellis  said  the  starvation  of  the  Montana  Indians  last  year  was 
an  '  infamy.'  We  felt  that  the  position  of  the  Committee  on 
this  point  was  altogether  a  strong  one,  and  that  it  was  neces 
sary  for  us  to  press  Mr.  Price's  recommendation  through  the 
Treasury  Department. 

"Regarding  the  question  of  agents'  salaries,  both  Mr.  Ryan 
and  Mr.  Ellis  admitted  that  there  should  be  an  increase  in 
order  to  secure  efficient  men;  but  they  thought  there  would  be 
opposition  to  such  an  effort  in  the  House.  Regarding  the 
second  point,  these  gentlemen  favored  $175  per  pupil  appro- 


priated  annually  for  the  high-grade  industrial  schools.  On 
the  final  points,  touching  an  increase  of  salaries  for  Indian 
police  force,  I  think  there  was  a  disposition  on  the  part  of 
the  Committee  to  allow  things  to  remain  as  they  were.  I 
told  them  how  valuable  the  police  had  proved  under  Agent 
McGillycuddy,  at  Pine  Ridge,  and  that  their  efficiency  prob 
ably  saved  an  outbreak.  I  think  this  statement  produced  its 
effect. 

"The  attitude  assumed  by  Mr.  Ellis  and  Mr.  Ryan  towards 
us  was  all  that  we  could  desire.  It  was  one  of  intelligent  in 
terest.  I  think  they  recognized  that  our  statements  were 
those  of  men  who  spoke  from  personal  experience,  and  who 
were  thoroughly  able  to  substantiate  their  assertions.  Dur 
ing  our  conversation  Mr.  Ellis  asked  me  whether  I  was  an 
Indian  Inspector,  or  whether  I  had  any  official  position  ?  I 
replied  that  I  was  only  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  had 
no  personal  ends  to  serve.  I  think  he  was  satisfied  that  the 
aim  of  our  Committee  was  disinterested. 

"  Mr.  Ellis  thanked  us  for  for  our  statement,  and  said  that 
he  was  always  glad  to  receive  information  on  such  matters. 

"  The  members  of  the  Indian  Committee  likewise  expressed 
a  willingness  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  suppress  traffic  in 
liquor  with  the  Indians. 

"  We  placed  our  full  statement  in  writing  in  the  hands  of 
the  Committee. 

"  Let  me  add  a  word  of  suggestion  at  the  conclusion  of  this 
letter.  The  real  value  of  this  journey  to  Washington  will  de 
pend  largely  on  the  amount  and  kind  of  publicity  given  to  it. 
The  amount  of  attention  paid  to  our  suggestions  by  the  mem 
bers  of  this  Committee  (suggestions  which  are  in  themselves 
of  the  highest  moment)  will  depend  on  what  the  papers  and 
the  public  say  regarding  them.  I  believe  Mr.  Ellis  and  Mr. 
Ryan  are  sincerely  desirous  of  carrying  the  suggestions  into 
effect,  but  they  should  be  supported  by  public  opinion.  Will 
you  not  kindly  try  to  get  these  facts  in  those  papers  which 
are  accessible  to  you  ?  Editors  of  our  daily  papers  have  been 
most  valuable  allies  in  recording  and  commenting  upon  each 
step  of  progress  in  our  work.  They  will  render  us  an  inesti- 


8 

mable  service  by  drawing  public  attention  to  this  great  question 
of  Indian  Appropriations,  which  is  one  of  immediate  and  vital 
importance. 

"Very  Respectfully  Yours, 

"HERBERT  WELSH, 

"  Corresponding  Secretary  I.  R.  A. 

"N.  B. — Personal  letters  addressed  to  Mr.  Ellis,  as  Chairman, 
or  to  other  members  of  the  Sub-Committee  of  the  House  on 
Indian  Affairs,  urging  the  adoption  of  enclosed  suggestions, 
will  be  especially  valuable.  Action  should  be  taken  with  the 
utmost  promptitude." 


"  SUGGESTIONS  FROM  COMMITTEE  ON  BEHALF  OF  INDIAN  RIGHTS 
ASSOCIATION,  RESPECTFULLY  SUBMITTED  TO  HON.  MR.  ELLIS, 
CHAIRMAN  OF  SUB-COMMITTEE  OF  THE  HOUSE  ON  INDIAN  AP 
PROPRIATIONS. 

"  I.  An  appropriation  of  $50,000,  to  be  used  by  the  Commit 
tee  of  Indian  Affairs  for  relief  of  Montana  Indians.  Immedi 
ate  action  to  be  urged  to  prevent  starvation. 

"  II.  Adequate  support  for  Indian  schools.  At  the  rate  of 
$175  and  transportation  per  pupil  in  all  first-class  industrial 
training  schools. 

"  Prompt  action  should  be  taken  by  Congress  for  the  educa 
tion  of  all  Indian  children. 

"  III.  Agents'  salaries  should  be  increased  so  as  to  secure 
competent  men  as  agents. 

"  IV.  Increased  pay  for  Indian  police  and  judges  of  Indian 
courts. 

"  More  stringent  measures  for  the  suppression  of  whisky 
traffic  to  the  Indians. 

"(Signed)  C  M.  BIDDLE,, 

"  ROBERT  FRAZER, 
"  C.  C.  PAINTER, 
"  S.  C.  ARMSTRONG, 
"  H.  WELSH, 

"  Corresponding  Secretary  I.  R.  A. 
"DECEMBER  I2TH,  1884." 


"WASHINGTON,  D.  C,  December  i8th,   1884. 

"  MY  DEAR  WELSH  : — You  remember  that  both  Mr.  Ellis 
and  Mr.  Ryan,  who  heard  us  by  listening  to  our  suggestions 
the  other  day,  promised  us  that  as  soon  as  the  deficiency 
estimate  for  the  Montana  Indians  could  be  dislodged  from 
the  Department  and  brought  to  them  they  would  introduce 
a  joint  resolution  immediately  and  see  that  it  was  passed 
within  two  days. 

"  It  would  weary  you  to  go  over  the  vexatious  delays  and 
protracted  efforts  by  which  this  dislodgment  was  effected; 
suffice  to  say  that  I  got  it  to  the  Speaker  of  the  House  yes 
terday,  late  in  the  P.  M.  It  was  reported  by  him  to  the 
House,  deferred  to  Mr.  Ellis'  Committee,  and  ordered  to  be 
printed. 

"  I  saw  both  Mr.  Ellis  and  Mr.  Ryan  after  it  came  over,  and 
they  both  explicitly  promised  again  that  they  would  act  upon 
it  this  morning  and  put  it  through  without  delay. 

"  I  also  saw  Mr.  Dawes  this  morning,  who  said  that  he 
would  take  it  at  once,  when  it  had  passed  the  House,  and  put 
it  through  the  Senate. 

"  I  saw  a  fair  ending  to  all  my  hard  labors  for  these  poor 
people.  But  hear  the  conclusion. 

"  I  saw  Mr.  Ellis  after  the  meeting  of  the  Committee,  and 
asked  if  he  brought  the  matter  before  them.  He  said  bluntly 
that  he  had  not  and  would  not.  He  had  given  them  $100,000 
deficiency  last  winter,  and  he  wanted  to  know  what  was  done 
with  it.  He  had  given  money  for  irrigating  ditches,  and 
seemed  to  think  they  might  eat  the  ditches,  I  suppose,  for 
certainly  there  was  little  chance  that  an  appropriation  for  that 
purpose  made  last  July  could  have  yielded  a  crop  for  this 
winter's  supply. 

"  He  wanted  to  know  whom  I  represented,  and  thought  the 
Indians  had  rather  too  many  friends  about  here. 

"  Well,  the  matter  seems  settled.  The  agent  has  instruc 
tions  to  exhaust  his  supplies  on  the  3ist  of  March.  It  will  be 
too  late  to  secure  legislation  now  in  time  to  avert  the  danger 


10 

that  stares  this  poor  people  in  the  face.    May  God  pity  them  f 
An  appeal  must  now  be  made  to  the  country. 
"  Yours  Truly, 

"C.  C.  PAINTER, 

"Representative  of  the  Indian  Rights  Association 
at  Washington,  D.  C" 


RESPONSIBILITY  FOR  STARVATION  AMONG  THE  PIEGANS. 
(An  open  letter  to  Mr.  Ellis  from  Prof.  Painter.) 

"  GREAT  BARRINGTON,  MASS.,  December  24th,  1884. 

"  To  the  Hon.  E.  John  Ellis,  Chairman  of  Sub- Committee  Indian 
Appropriations,  House  of  Representatives,  Washington,  D.  C. 

"  SIR  : — My  surprise  and  astonishment  were  so  great  the 
other  morning  because  of  your  sudden  change  of  purpose  re 
garding  the  "  deficiency  estimate  "  for  the  relief  of  certain 
Montana  Indians,  that  I  could  not,  in  the  brief  time  allowed 
me,  answer  your  questions.  You  had  only  the  evening  be 
fore  repeated  to  me  the  explicit  promise  made  by  you  and 
Mr.  Ryan  to  the  Committee  of  the  Indian  Rights  Association, 
on  the  1 2th  inst,  that  you  would,  just  as  soon  as  the  estimate 
reached  your  Committee,  introduce  and  secure  the  passage  of 
a  joint  resolution  appropriating  the  sum  asked  for. 

"  You  were  informed  in  the  letter  from  the  acting  Secretary 
of  the  Interior,  which  accompanied  this  estimate,  and  which 
was  referred  with  it  to  your  Committee,  that  the  agent  at  the 
Blackfeet  Agency  had  been  instructed  by  the  Department  to 
exhaust  his  supplies  by  the  3ist  of  March,  and  that  unless 
supplies  to  meet  the  deficiency  were  sent  in  by  the  I5th  of 
January,  that  it  would  be  all  but  impossible  to  get  them  in 
through  that  country  in  time  to  prevent  starvation. 

"  Certainly  nothing  contained  in  this  letter  was  calculated 
to  lessen  the  urgency  of  the  action  which  was  sought  from 
you,  and  which  you  had  so  explicitly  promised. 


II 

"  I  fear  that  no  importunity  can  now  secure  action  in  this 
matter  which  will  save  these  poor  people  from. extreme  suffer 
ing,  and  it  is  not  with  the  hope  of  averting  this,  but  with  the 
purpose  rather  of  locating  responsibility  for  it,  that  I  proceed 
to  answer  your  questions  :  (i.)  How  did  it  happen  that  there 
was  such  suffering  among  them ;  and  (2.)  what  has  become 
of  the  money  ($100,000)  appropriated  last  winter  for  their 
relief? 

"  I.  It  appears  that  the  Department  asked  for  the  support 
of  these  Indians  (food  and  clothing),  for  the  year  ending  June 
3Oth,  1884,  the  sum  of  $260,000,  and  that  Congress,  at  the 
suggestion  of  your  Committee,  gave  $176,000,  being  $84,000 
less  than  the  Department  deemed  necessary.  It  may  be  well 
to  say  in  this  connection  that  the  sum  asked  for  was  based 
upon  the  expectation  that  game  would  be  as  abundant  as 
in  years  past,  which  proved  a  mistake,  as  none  was  to  be 
found. 

"  The  deficiency  created  by  the  action  of  your  Committee 
was  $84,000 ;  the  utter  failure  of  all  crops  by  reason  of  frost, 
drought,  &c.,  and  the  entire  absence  of  game,  threatened  this 
people  with  absolute  starvation.  Senator  Vest  and  Delegate 
Maginnis  reported  this  condition  of  things  at  the  very  open 
ing  of  the  last  session  of  Congress.  The  President  called 
the  attention  of  Congress  to  the  facts  as  communicated  to  him 
by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  who  asked  for  $138,000  to 
meet  the  emergency.  Special  Inspector  Howard  appeared 
before  your  Committee  and  informed  you  of  what  he  had  just 
seen  among  these  people,  and  you  introduced  a  joint  resolu 
tion  the  next  day,  appropriating  $50,000  to  this  purpose.  The 
Senate  amended  this  and  appropriated  $100,000.  If  you  are 
doubtful  as  to  your  responsibility  for  the  non-concurrence  of 
the  House  in  this  amendment,  I  will  respectfully  refer  you  to 
the  Congressional  Record  for  February  ist,  1884,  pages  183 
and  184.  Mr.  Maginnis  related  what  he  had  seen  and  heard 
in  a  personal  visit  to  these  people  a  few  months  previous,  and 
was  sure  that  at  least  $100,000  was  both  needed  and  asked 
for.  Mr.  Chase  was  confident  that  the  Department  had  asked 
for  $138,000. 


12 

"  Your  assertion,  made  with  great  positiveness,  and  reiter 
ated,  that  your  Committee  had  given  every  dollar  that  had 
been  asked  for  by  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  caused 
the  House  to  reject  the  Senate  amendment,  and  a  delay  en 
sued  before  you  were  forced  to  correct  a  mistake  which  was 
fatal  to  many  poor  starving  Indians,  and  so,  after  a  delay  of 
two  months  after  it  was  informed  of  the  facts,  Congress  ap 
propriated  about  three-fourths  of  the  sum  asked  for. 

"  That  this  was  not  sufficient  appears  from  a  mild  statement 
in  the  last  report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  who 
says  :  '  There  is  little  doubt  that  many  deaths  amongst  them 
(these  Montana  Indians)  were  the  direct  result  of  lack  of  food/ 

"  During  a  recent  visit  to  the  Blackfeet  Agency  the  agent 
informed  me  that  he  issued  during  the  spring  and  early  sum 
mer  from  four  to  six  burial  boxes  per  day  for  some  time,  and 
that  no  money  would  induce  him  to  witness  again  the  scenes 
through  which  he  had  passed  during  those  fearful  months. 
It  was  estimated  that  four  hundred  of  the  Indians  of  that 
Agency,  which  numbered  not  more  than  twenty-four  hundred 
or  twenty-six  hundred,  died  from  want  of  food. 

"At  Fort  Belknap  the  suffering  would  have  been  just  as 
great  but  for  the  fact  that  it  is  near  a  large  military  post,  and 
that  the  men  brought  their  wives  and  daughters — even  little 
girls — and  prostituted  them  to  the  whites  for  money  with 
which  to  purchase  food. 

"  This,  I  agree  with  you,  is  '  an  infamy/  one  for  which,  as 
Chairman  of  the  Sub-Committee  of  Appropriations  for  Indian 
Affairs,  who  cut  down  estimates,  who  delayed  action,  and  who 
has  now  deliberately  refused  to  report  a  resolution  appropri 
ating  for  the  deficiency  for  this  year,  the  country  will  hold 
you  responsible. 

"  The  answer  to  your  second  question  is  not  hard  to  find. 
Divide  the  sum  of  money  appropriated  to  feed  and  clothe 
these  people,  fourteen  thousand  of  them  in  round  numbers, 
and  you  will  have  for  this  purpose  about  three  and  one-third 
cents  per  diem,  per  cap. ;  a  sum  which  might  be  used  hon 
estly  for  such  a  purpose  without  raising  such  strong  sus 
picions  that  it  had  been  wasted  that  you  are  forced,  as  a 


13 

prudent  public  officer  intrusted  with  grave  responsibilities, 
to  thrust  aside  with  contempt  the  estimate  of  the  Interior 
Department,  and  the  urgent  cry  that  there  will  be  another 
/infamy'  unless  you  act  at  once,  and  say  you  must  know 
how  this  has  been  expended  before  you  will  ask  for  any 
more. 

"For  the  year  ending  June  3Oth,  1885,  the  Department 
asked  for  these  same  Indians,  for  food  and  clothing,  $275,000; 
acting  under  your  advice,  Congress  has  appropriated  $243,000 ; 
that  is  $32,000  less  than  the  needed  sum. 

"  You  have  before  you  the  facts  that  $50,000  is  needed  to 
prevent  the  infamy  of  starvation  again  ;  that  the  supplies  at 
one  agency  will  be  exhausted  on  the  1st  of  April  next,  and 
that  the  supplies  must  be  sent  in  by  the  middle  of  January. 
Your  promise  to  the  Committee,  composed  of  Gen.  Armstrong, 
Messrs.  Biddle,  Welsh,  and  Frazer,  of  Philadelphia,  was  ex 
plicit  that  you  would  act  upon  these  facts  as  soon  as  they 
reached  your  Committee.  But  this,  the  next  morning  after 
they  did  reach  you,  you  flatly  refused  to  do  until  you  had 
satisfactory  answers  to  your  questions. 

"  These  I  have  attempted  to  answer,  whether  satisfactory  or 
not  I  cannot  say,  but  with  facts  from  the  Official  Record. 

"  Your  argument  that  you  had  given  money  for  irrigating 
ditches,  and  that  these  people  ought  to  do  something  to  sup 
port  themselves,  is  fully  met  by  the  fact  that  this  bill  was  not 
approved  until  the  4.th  of  July  last,  and  consequently  practical 
relief  for  those  whom  it  was  designed  to.  aid  could  not  be 
derived  in  so  short  a  time.  Your  remark  that  '  the  Indian 
seems  to  have  too  many  friends  about  here  '  betrays,  I  fear, 
the  animus  by  which  you  are  controlled.  As  all  known 
methods  for  securing  relief  for  these  Indians  from  your  Com 
mittee  have  been  exhausted,  I  am  forced  to  appeal  to  our  cit 
izens  at  large,  who,  I  am  confident,  do  not  desire  either  that 
these  people  shall  starve  or  be  forced  to  prostitution  to  save 
themselves  from  such  a  fate,  and  so  I  send  these  answers  to 
your  questions  to  the  country  at  large. 

Yours,  &c., 
(Copy)  C.  C.  PAINTER." 


PETITION. 

No.  1316  FILBERT  STREET, 
PHILADELPHIA,  PA.,  December  27th,  1884. 

"  Hon.  Samuel  J.  Randall, 

"  SIR  : — We,  the  undersigned,  members  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  Indian  Rights  Association,  desire  with  all 
respect  to  call  your  attention  to  the  following  facts,  and  beg 
that  you  will  give  them  immediate  consideration. 

"On  Friday,  December  I2th,  1884,  Clement  M.  Biddle, 
General  S.  C.  Armstrong,  Robert  Frazer,  Charles  C.  Painter, 
and  Herbert  Welsh,  on  behalf  of  the  Indian  Rights  Associa 
tion,  waited  on  the  Sub-Committee  of  the  House  on  Indian 
Appropriations.  The  Chairman  of  this  Committee,  Hon.  John 
Ellis,  and  the  Hon.  Thomas  Ryan  were  present  and  listened 
to  the  statements  presented  by  the  above-named  members  of 
the  Indian  Rights  Association.  The  principal  request  made  on 
behalf  of  that  Association,  and  the  first  presented  along  with 
three  others,  was  that  an  appropriation  of  $50,000  should  be 
passed  by  Congress  and  immediately  made  available  to  relieve 
the  threatened  starvation  among  the  Indians  of  Montana.  We 
will  here  state  for  your  information,  that  during  the  past  spring 
and  early  summer,  great  destitution  and  loss  of  life  was  occa 
sioned  among  the  Piegans  and  other  tribes  of  Indians  resi 
dent  in  Montana,  owing  to  the  failure  of  Congress  to  appro 
priate  money  in  sufficient  amount  and  requisite  promptness  to 
meet  their  necessities.  In  his  annual  report  for  the  year 
1884,  the  Honorable  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  states 
that  the  destitution  of  these  Indians,  during  the  past  winter 
and  spring,  was  extreme,  and  admits  that  '  there  is  little  doubt 
that  many  deaths  were  the  direct  result  of  lack  of  food.' 

"  Professor  C.  C.  Painter,  who,  as  a  representative  of  the 
Indian  Rights  Association,  visited  Montana  during  the  past 
month  of  October,  states  that  upwards  of  four  hundred  deaths 


15 

resulted  from  starvation  among  the  Indians.  At  Fort  Belknap 
the  Indians  only  saved  themselves  from  a  similar  fate  by  the 
prostitution  of  their  wives,  daughters,  and  even  young  female 
children,  to  the  whites.  It  is  unnecessary  for  us  to  give  you  a 
description  of  these  horrors,  as  we  are  led  to  believe  that  you 
have  already  in  your  possession  a  copy  ,of  Professor  Painter's 
original  statement  regarding  them.  It  was  the  earnest  belief  of 
the  delegation  of  gentlemen  from  the  Indian  Rights  Associa 
tion  that  Commissioner  Price's  request  for  an  appropriation  of 
$50,000  should  be  immediately  granted,  as  supplies  at  the 
Piegan  Agency  will  be  exhausted  by  March  3ist,  1885.  After 
that  date  there  will  be  great  danger  of  starvation  among  the 
Indians,  as  the  condition  of  the  roads  will  prevent  the  hauling 
of  freight  to  the  Agency  until  June  or  July.  We  present  these 
facts  to  you,  in  order  that  you  may  fully  understand  the 
gravity  of  the  situation. 

"  When  the  request  for  this  appropriation  of  $50,000  (in 
order  to  meet  the  deficiency)  was  presented  to  Mr.  Ellis  and 
to  Mr.  Ryan,  these  gentlemen  replied  that  so  soon  as  the  es 
timates  from  the  Interior  Department  had  passed  through  the 
Treasury  Department,  they  would  immediately  act  upon  them, 
recommending  a  joint  resolution  by  which  the  money  might 
be  made  immediately  available.  Mr.  Ellis  stated  that  the 
starvation  of  the  Montana  Indians  last  winter  was  an  infamy, 
and  that  he  would  do  all  in  his  power  to  prevent  the  threat 
ened  disaster  during  the  coming  season  ;  that  in  two  days  after 
the  estimates  were  through  the  Treasury  Department  all 
necessary  action  would  have  been  taken.  The  members  of 
the  delegation  from  the  Indian  Rights'  Association  were  en 
tirely  satisfied  with  the  position  taken  by  Mr.  Ellis  and  Mr. 
Ryan,  and  by  the  promise  of  immediate  favorable  action  when 
the  estimates  were  before  their  Committee.  In  view  of  this 
promise,  so  explicitly  made,  and  which  was  given  with  such 
apparent  sincerity,  we,  who  now  address  you,  must  express 
astonishment,  and,  in  the  absence  of  any  adequate  explanation, 
a  sense  of  deep  indignation  at  the  course  which  Mr.  Ellis  has 
since  thought  fit  to  adopt.  The  members  of  our  delegation, 
believing  that  Mr.  Ellis  spoke  in  good  faith,  immediately  ex- 


i6 

erted  themselves  to  fulfill  their  part  of  the  contract.  In  this 
aim,  thanks  to  the  earnest  and  patient  efforts  of  Professor 
Painter,  they  were  successful.  Professor  Painter's  own  words, 
contained  in  a  letter  addressed  to  Herbert  Welsh,  under  date 
of  December  i8th,  1884,  will  best  depict  the  progress  of  events 
and  the  extraordinary  position  therein  assumed  by  Mr.  Ellis. 
The  following  is  Professor  Painter's  letter : — 

"  '  WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  Dec.  iSth,  1884. 

"  '  MY  DEAR  WELSH  : — You  remember  that  both  Mr.  Ellis 
and  Mr.  Ryan,  who  heard  us  by  listening  to  our  suggestions 
the  other  day,  promised  us  that  as  soon  as  the  deficiency  esti 
mate  for  the  Montana  Indians  could  be  dislodged  from  the 
Department  and  brought  to  them,  they  would  introduce  a 
joint  resolution  immediately  and  see  that  it  was  passed  within 
two  days. 

r  *  It  would  weary  you  to  go  over  the  vexatious  delays 
and  protracted  efforts  by  which  this  dislodgment  was  effect 
ed;  suffice  to  say  that  I  got  it  to  the  Speaker  of  the  House 
yesterday,  late  in  the  P.  M.  It  was  reported  by  him  to  the 
House,  referred  to  Mr.  Ellis'  Committee,  and  ordered  to  be 
printed. 

"  '  I  saw  both  Mr.  Ellis  and  Mr.  Ryan  after  it  came  over, 
and  they  both  explicitly  promised  again  that  they  would  act 
upon  it  this  morning,  and  put  it  through  without  delay.  I  also 
saw  Mr.  Dawes  this  morning,  who  said  that  he  would  take  it 
at  once,  when  it  had  passed  the  House,  and  put  it  through 
the  Senate. 

"  '  I  saw  a  fair  ending  to  all  my  hard  labors  for  these  peo 
ple.  But  hear  the  conclusion. 

"  '  I  saw  Mr.  Ellis  after  the  meeting  of  the  Committee,  and 
asked  if  he  brought  the  matter  before  them.  He  said  bluntly 
that  he  had  not  and  would  not.  He  had  given  them  $100,000 
deficiency  last  winter,  and  he  wanted  to  know  what  was  done 
with  it.  He  had  given  money  for  irrigating  ditches,  and 
seemed  to  think  they  might  eat  the  ditches,  I  suppose,  for 
certainly  there  was  little  chance  that  an  appropriation  for  that 
purpose  made  last  July  could  have  yielded  a  crop  for  this 
winter's  supply. 

"  '  He  wanted  to  know  whom  I  represented,  and  thought 
the  Indian  had  rather  too  many  friends  about  here. 

"  '  Well,  the  matter  seems  settled.     The  agent  has  instruc- 


tions  to  exhaust  his  supplies  on  the  3ist  of  March.  To 
secure  legislation  now  in  time  to  avert  the  danger  that  stares 
this  poor  people  in  the  face,  an  appeal  must  now  be  made  to 
the  country. 

"  'Yours  Truly, 

"'C.  C.  PAINTER.' 


"  In  conclusion,  sir,  we  desire  to  make  an  explicit  state 
ment  regarding  our  position  in  this  matter  of  Government 
support  for  Indians.  We  heartily  approve,  as  a  general  policy, 
of  a  gradual  diminution  in  the  amount  of  rations  given  to  In 
dians,  and  an  increase  in  the  means  furnished  them  for  becom 
ing  self-supporting,  whereby  they  may  in  the  shortest  possible 
time  be  rendered  independent  of  the  Government.  But  in 
the  case  in  question  no  adequate  opportunity  has  been 
afforded  these  Indians  to  attain  this  end.  The  game  on  which 
they  formerly  subsisted  has  suddenly  disappeared,  and  they 
have  not  had  such  instruction  in  civilized  pursuits  as  will  en 
able  them  to  depend  upon  their  own  efforts  for  livelihood. 
We  are  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  alike  an  active  justice  to  the 
Indians,  and  to  the  best  interests  of  the  country,  to  provide 
food  for  these  people  until  a  fair  opportunity  has  been  given 
them  to  provide  for  themselves. 

"  We  feel  constrained  to  say  that  the  people  of  the  United 
States,  in  our  estimation,  do  not  approve  of  any  action  upon 
the  part  of  Congress  by  which  these  people,  whom  the  nation 
is  abundantly  able  to  care  for,  shall  be  condemned  to  starva 
tion  or  forced  to  save  themselves  from  such  a  fate  by  the  sac 
rifice  of  their  innocent  women  and  children  to  gratify  the  lust 
of  degraded  whites.  Such  a  course  the  best  men  and  women 
in  this  land  will  regard  under  present  circumstances  as  inde 
fensible,  ignoble,  and  unworthy  the  honor  of  the  nation.  We, 
as  citizens,  utter  our  respectful  and  solemn  protest  against  the 
action  of  Mr.  Ellis.  We  not  only -hope  but  believe  that  you 
will  aid  us  in  making  this  protest  effective  ;  that  you  will  so 
use  your  legitimate  influence  with  Mr.  Ellis,  as  Chairman  of 
your  Sub-Committee,  that  he  may  be  induced  to  reconsider  his 
action,  and  thus  secure  the  fulfillment  of  his  promise,  and,  if 


i8 

it  be  not  now  too  late,  the  appropriation  of  the  needed  funds 
in  time  to  avert  the  recurrence  of  starvation  among  the  In 
dians  of  Montana. 

"  We  remain,  sir,  with  very  great  respect, 

"  Your  obedient  servants, 

"  DR.  JAMES  E.  RHOADS,  Vice  Pres.,    W.  HEYWARD  DRAYTON, 
"  JOHN  WELSH,  W.  W.  FRAZIER,  JR., 

"  CHAS..  E.  PANCOAST,  CLEMENT  M.  BIDDLE, 

"  ROBERT  FRAZER,  EFFINGHAM  B.  MORRIS, 

"  HENRY  S.  PANCOAST,  THOS.  STEWARDSON, 

"  J.  T.  JOHNSON,  J.  RODMAN  PAUL, 

"  C.  STUART  PATTERSON,  HERBERT  WELSH." 


This  appeal  is  now  made  in  the  public  statement  of  the 
above  facts. 
DECEMBER  2/th,  1884.  * 


JANUARY  6th,  1885. 

The  following  telegram  was  received  this  date  by  the  Execu 
tive  Committee: — 

"WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  January  6th,  1885. 

"  To  Robert  Frazer,  209  South  Third  Street, 

"  Fifty  thousand  dollars  just  appropriated  by  House  for 
immediate  use  for  support  of  Indians  at  Crow,  Fort  Belknap, 
Fort  Peck,  and  Blackfoot  agencies. 

(Signed)          "CHAS.  O'NEILL." 


(From  NEW  YORK  TRIBUNE,  January  yth,  1885.) 
"  FOOD  FOR  THE  STARVING  PIEGANS. 

"  By  Telegraph  to  The  Tribune, 

"  WASHINGTON,  January  6th,  1885. 

"  The  Piegan  Indians  in  Montana  who  have  survived  the 
starvation  process  to  which  they  have  been  subjected  by  the 
refusal  of  Congress,  at  its  last  session,  to  appropriate  money 
enough  to  provide  for  their  subsistence,  are  to  be  fed.  The 
House  Committee  on  Appropriations  this  morning  suddenly 
and  unanimously  awoke  to  the  necessity  of  prompt  action, 
and  instructed  Mr.  Ellis  to  report  and  ask  the  House  to 
pass  a  joint  resolution  appropriating  $50,000  to  be  immedi 
ately  available  for  the  purchase  of  subsistence  stores  for  the 
destitute  Indians  in  Montana.  In  presenting  the  resolution 
to  the  House  Mr.  Ellis  said  that  the  appropriation  was 
urgently  recommended  by  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior,  the 
Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  the  Indian  agents  in  Montana, 
and  the  officers  of  the  army  stationed  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Indians.  Mr.  Ellis  said  that  there  were  fifteen  thousand 
of  the  destitute  Indians,  and  that  "  hundreds  of  them  have 
starved  absolutely  to  death "  on  account  of  the  failure  of 
Congress  to  appropriate  an  adequate  sum  of  money  for 
their  subsistence.  He  did  not  mention,  however,  what  every 
careful  reader  of  The  Tribune  knows  to  be  the  fact,  that  a  suffi 
cient  sum  was  asked  by  the  Indian  Bureau  a  year  ago,  and 
that  the  House  reduced  the  amount.  That  the  Appropriations 
Committee  had  only  to  ask  in  order  to  have  the  appropriation 
granted  was  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  House  unanimously 
adopted  the  joint  resolution  without  debate." 


20 


(TRIBUNE  Editorial.) 

"  Friends  of  the  Piegans  will  doubtless  be  able  to  take  steps 
now  to  prevent  these  poor  Indians  from  starving.  Congress 
has  suddenly  realized  their  .  needs,  and  has  appropriated 
$50,000  to  buy  them  food.  Credit  can  certainly  be  obtained 
on  the  strength  of  the  vote,  and  the  purchase  of  the  supplies 
must  be  hastened  by  all  possible  means.  There  is  no  use, 
perhaps,  to  inquire  at  this  time  wThy  this  matter  did  not  re 
ceive  attention  before.  The  unanimous  consent  of  the  House 
to  the  resolution  from  the  Committee  on  Appropriations  indi 
cates  that  the  Representatives  generally  have  no  wish  to  starve 
the  Indians  to  death.  Somebody  has  evidently  been  suddenly 
stirred  up,  and  the  process  was  undoubtedly  hastened  by  the 
praiseworthy  activity  of  the  Indian  Rights  Association.'' 


THE  SENATE. 
(Telegram  from  Senator  Bayard.) 

"WASHINGTON,  D.  C,  January  7th,  1885. 

Hon.  John  Welsh,  304.  Walnut  street, 
"  Joint  resolution  to  relieve  Piegans  has  just  passed. 

"T.   F.  BAYARD." 
JANUARY  Qth,  1885. 


